SEARCA in the News

PARAÑAQUE CITY, Philippines — The Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) has recognized the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) as one of the top contributors to its Socioeconomic Research Portal for the Philippines (SERP-P) database in 2025. PIDS is the Philippine government's primary socioeconomic policy think tank, and the SERP-P database is an online resource containing studies and materials from PIDS and other academic and research institutions. Ms. Bernice Anne De Torres of SEARCA's Research and Thought Leadership Department (RTLD) and Mr. Stoix Nebin Pascua of SEARCA's Education and Collective Learning Department –… Read more

IN a world grappling with the fallout of conventional farming — deteriorating soils, drowning biodiversity and a changing climate — the call for a transformative shift has never been louder. One proposal, that "regenerative agriculture is the key to securing food and restoring our environment," comes from Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) Center Director Mercedita Sombilla. During the 5th International Conference on Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture in the Tropics, held on Oct. 29 at Hasanuddin University in Makassar, Indonesia, Sombilla first painted a stark picture of the costs of business-as-usual farming: depleted… Read more

Thirty-one higher education leaders from Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam have successfully completed the 7th Leadership Development Program for Higher Education Institutions in Southeast Asia (LDP-HEIs in SEA). The hybrid program, organized by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), The HEAD Foundation, and IPB University, was designed to strengthen leadership capacities in universities across the region. Conducted from 23 September to 18 November 2025, the three-month program comprised five online sessions and a three-day onsite segment at IPB University in Bogor, Indonesia. Participants included deputy heads, program coordinators, associate/assistant/vice deans… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Philippines — The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) is proud to announce the appointment of Dr. Rico Ancog as its new Deputy Director for Administration, effective 1 December 2025. Ancog is a highly awarded academic leader and a distinguished researcher. He currently serves as Professor at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) and is a recognized UP Scientist. His leadership roles include serving as Dean of the UPLB School of Environmental Science and Management (SESAM) from 2021 to 2025. Ancog is no stranger to SEARCA. He has steadily advanced… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Philippines – The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) announces the opening of applications for the 2026 edition of the Executive Program for Leaders in Asian Agriculture and Development (LAAD): Focus on Southeast Asia. This hybrid program, which incorporates both online and in-person sessions, is designed to strengthen leadership and innovation capacities among professionals operating within the rapidly changing agrifood landscape of the region. LAAD is tailored for leaders working in government agencies, private agrifood enterprises, academia, civil society, and development organizations. The curriculum offers comprehensive modules on contemporary agrifood system issues… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Philippines — Thirty teaching and non-teaching personnel from the Department of Education in Laguna (DepEd Laguna) have completed a transformative in-country training focused on urban farming for sustainable cultivation, biodiversity conservation, education, and food security. The two-day event, held on 29-30 October 2025 at the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), equipped participants with practical skills and ecological knowledge for greener communities. The initiative, titled "In-Country Training on Urban Farming for Sustainable Cultivation to Support Biodiversity Conservation, Education, and Food Security in the… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna — In a study titled "Insights into the Structural Challenges of Philippine Agricultural Transformation through Analysis of Production Growth Trends," the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) underscored its dedication to regional cooperation and progressive policy formulation in agricultural and rural development. SEARCA Center Director Mercedita Sombilla said that the study used data from the Philippine Statistics Authority spanning 2000–2024 which focused on rice and corn, two staple crops that keep the structural health of Philippine agriculture. Sombilla noted that the study's findings indicated that initial production gains, supported by technology… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Philippines — A seminar hosted by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) highlighted the need for next-generation professionals to be equipped and to engage in the biodiversity-climate nexus. Held on 17 November 2025, a SEARCA Agriculture and Development Seminar Series (ADSS) featured Dr. Dindo Campilan, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Regional Director for Asia and Hub Director for Oceania. Campilan delivered his lecture, "Biodiversity-Climate Nexus for a Nature-Positive Future: Renewing the Role of Academe in Nurturing Next-Generation Professionals." He underscored the persistent fragmentation in treating biodiversity and climate as… Read more

BANGKOK, Thailand — The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) participated in the 48th Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) High Officials Meeting (HOM) held in Mövenpick BDMS Wellness Resort on 18–20 November 2025, in celebration of SEAMEO's 60th anniversary. With the theme, "Leading Through Learning: Empowering Schools and Communities in Southeast Asia," the meeting gathered over 150 delegates, including the 11 high officials from all SEAMEO Member Countries, along with representatives from Associate and Affiliate Members, SEAMEO Center Directors, and global partners to strengthen cooperation in education, science, and culture. SEARCA was… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Philippines— Dr. Karl Kendrick Chua, former Secretary of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA, now known as Department of Economy, Planning, and Development [DEPDev]), underscored that agricultural productivity is the missing foundation in the Philippines' long-delayed structural transformation during a seminar hosted by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on 14 November 2025. Addressing the audience at SEARCA's flagship seminar, Chua described the Philippines' economy as stable, but not yet prosperous. He pointed out that true national prosperity can only be achieved by launching an agricultural transformation similar to those… Read more